Duplicate-whist tray.



PATENTED 00T. 27, 1903.

I G. M. PIERCE. DUPLIGATE WHIST TRAY.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. s, 1903.

No MODEL.

)Patented October 27', 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE M. PIERCE, OF BRODHEAD, WISCONSIN.

DUPL|CATEWH|ST TRAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,730, dated October 27, 1903. Application filed April 8, 1903 Serial No. 151,653. (N0 model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brodhead, in the county of Green and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Duplicate-Whist Trays, of which the following is a specification.

The novelty contained in the device embodied in this invention, which relates to card-holding trays used in duplicate-whist apparatus, rests in the general arrangement of the card receivers or retainers and the peculiar form thereof by which the article is rendered more serviceable in a manner which will more fully appear as the description proceeds.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire aknowledge of the details of construction of the means for eectin g the results reference is to be had to the following description and drawings hereto attached. Y

While the essential and characteristic features of theinvention are susceptible of modiication, still the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the tray open. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tray folded. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the folded tray. Fig. A is a view showing the tray folded in a different manner from that shown in Fig. 2. 4

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The tray or holder is preferably made from flexible material-such as leather, cloth, or the like-and consists of the base l and pockets 2, arranged upon said base and preferably in alinement with each other. The

pockets 2 are arranged to receive the sets of cards used by the several players at the end of each hand and are provided with suitable descriptive data indicative of the sets of cards played by the several players. Some difficulty is experienced in these devices in preventing the displacement of the sets of cards from the holding-pockets, due to the constant handling of the article while the game is go- To securely hold the sets of cards within the pockets, the latter are made of peculiar form and disposal, and so inclose the sets of cards that they are iirmly held in their respective positions by the pockets provided upon the tray. The pockets 2 are arranged so that the entrance-openings 3 are toward each other, and these entrance-openings are of Vspecial form. The end portion of the pocket is cut away at the corner thereof, and this enables the cards to be held upon four edges, and thus the efiiciency of the pockets is augmented to the highest degree.

To introduce the cards within the pocket, the ends are first placed adjacent the entrance-openings, and the cards are given an endwise and at the same time a circulinear movement to throw the major portion of the cards within the said pocket, as very clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The cutaway portions of the pockets which form the entrance openings are oppositely disposed with reference to the adjacent pockets at the ends of the base, this being deemed advantageous for obvious reasons. adapted to be folded at about the central portion and laid aside, as shown in Fig. 4; but it is preferred that the same be again folded (see Eig. 2) upon itself after the initial folding movement to better retain the cards therein. A iiap 5 may be provided at one end of the base to overlap the body thereof after the tray has been folded in the proper manner. The flap will also indicate the position of the tray on the table each time the cards are played.

An important point of advantage in this form of pocket is that it provides a convenient way for the players to remove or replace the cardssimul'taneously with the right hand.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. A tray or holder of the character described, consisting of a base having one or more pockets thereon each of said pockets having a portion of one side and a portion of one adjacent end removed to provide an entrance-opening, whereby cards are adapted ing on.

by proper manipulation to be received within the pockets and embraced upon four different edges.

2. A tray or holder of the character de- The tray is scribed, comprising a base provided with a plurality of pockets arranged in alined sets, the adjacent pockets of each set having their disposed upon correspondingly opposite corcorrespondingly opposite corner portions cut ners of the pockets, substantially as de- I oblique line to provide entrance-openings, the away to provide entrance-openings, substanl! scribed.

said cut-away portions of the pockets being tially as described. In testimony whereof I affix my signature 3. A tray or holder of the character deinpresence of two witnesses.

scribed, and consisting of a iiexible base pro- GEORGE M. PIERCE. [L s.].

vided with a plurality of pockets arranged Witnesses: i

substantially in alinement, said pockets hav- F. L. HOLLIDAY, ing their corner portions cut away upon an O. S. FREEMAN. 

